Opposites Attract
by Romione4Life
Summary: My first and probably last Fred/Hermione fanfiction. This is another version of the scene in Order of the Phoenix where Hermione makes the twins and Lee stop testing their joke products on first years. What if, instead of Hermione threatening to tell their mother, she got an interesting offer from Fred in order to stop the tests?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: No offense to anyone who likes Fred/Hermione, but I have no idea why I wrote this fanfiction. I don't ship them, and I neither understand how their ship began nor why Fred/Hermione seems more popular than George/Hermione. But while I was reading a Fred/Hermione fanfiction, this idea randomly popped into my head, and I just couldn't let it go. Now I've gotten it out, and hopefully I can go back into my little Ron/Hermione shipping world. If you DO like Fred/Hermione, though, I hope you enjoy this!  
**

**Disclaimer: I must not tell lies! I'm not J.K. Rowling, and I do not own any part of Harry Potter.**

Hermione was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Ron, trying to concentrate on her homework. But she was too distracted to focus. Fred and George Weasley, along with Lee Jordan, were apparently doing more experimentation with their joke products. This time, however, the test subjects were first years. They were eating some sort of sweet that Fred, George, and Lee had given them.

"I don't believe those three!" she exclaimed, throwing down her parchment and quill. "Let's go, Ron."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"You know perfectly well what I mean," Hermione retorted. "Your brothers and their friend are testing potentially dangerous products on first years, and as prefects, it's our duty to restore order."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Hermione, they're not doing anything dangerous!"

"Yes, they are! Look!" Hermione pointed to the group of first years, who were keeling over one by one, unconscious.

Ron shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong. I'm sure they're fine."

"Fine," Hermione snapped. "I guess I'm on my own." She walked away, muttering something about how Ron didn't deserve his title of prefect. Ron looked slightly guilty, but stayed in his seat.

Hermione approached the twins and Lee. "Stop it. Now," she commanded.

"Stop what?" George said innocently, grinning at her.

Hermione threw her arms up in exasperation. "Why is everyone pretending to be so ignorant? You are endangering the first years with these sweets of yours!"

"No we're not," Lee assured her. He put another sweet, this one purple, into one of the first years' mouth. The young student slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "See?"

"What if something goes wrong?" Hermione argued as Lee began to give the purple sweets to the rest of the first years. "You could get into serious trouble, and so could I for not stopping you! Do you want that to happen?"

"We've tried these ourselves!" George said, looking like he couldn't care less about the trouble they could get into. "We're only –"

"Wait," Fred interrupted him, holding up his hand. He stared straight into Hermione's eyes. She shifted uncomfortably. "We'll stop testing our stuff on other people," Fred continued, "if you kiss me."

The entire common room went dead silent. George's eyes were wide, and Lee turned away from the first years to watch what was happening. "_Excuse me?_" Hermione shrieked.

Fred smiled mischievously. "You heard me. Kiss me, and we'll stop."

Hermione looked torn between ensuring the first years' well-being and saving herself from public humiliation. Fred waited patiently for her to respond.

Finally, Hermione sighed. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. She walked over to Fred with a revolted expression as if she'd just been told to kiss a flobberworm. She reached up, took a deep breath, and quickly pecked him on the cheek. "There. Now stop."

Fred shook his head. "That wasn't what I meant," he said. And before Hermione could react, he grabbed her shoulders, leaned down, and kissed her on the lips.

The common room erupted with gasps, squeals, and whistles. Hermione's mind went blank, and her entire body seemed to be tingling. _What in the world was going on?_

After a few seconds, they broke apart. Hermione looked shocked. Fred seemed horrified.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled before whirling around and running out of the common room. People began to go back to whatever they'd been working on, but Hermione darted after Fred.

"Hermione," Harry began as she went by him and Ron, but she brushed past them without a single word.

Fred wasn't in sight immediately when Hermione climbed out of the portrait hole. Then she saw a flash of red disappear around the corner at the end of the corridor. She dashed down the hallway and finally caught up with Fred halfway down the next corridor.

"What was that all about?" she yelled. "First you kiss me – on the _lips_, no less – then you run away?" She angrily put her hands on her hips. "Explain yourself!"

"I'm sorry," Fred said again. "It was just –"

"If you say it was just a joke or a dare, I'll hex you," Hermione threatened.

"No! It wasn't anything like that!" Fred said hastily. "I've been wanting to do that for a while, and I needed an excuse to do it. So when you came over telling us to stop what we were doing, well… I saw my opportunity."

"But _why?_" Hermione said. "Why me?"

"For a long time," Fred began, "I only saw you as my little brother's bookish friend. That's it. I don't really know how it happened, but then I started to see you as something more. I saw you as an intelligent, kind –" Fred hesitated for a second, then continued, "– beautiful girl. And I thought your talents seemed somewhat under-appreciated – it almost seemed like Harry and Ron took you for granted."

Hermione's expression was beginning to soften. "The moment I realized I cared for you, though," Fred went on, "was last year at the Yule Ball. When Ron was mean to you and you had that argument, I wanted to punch him in the face for ruining what was supposed to be a special night for you."

"You know," Hermione said after a few moments of silence. "Until today, I never saw you as more than Ron's brother who had a proclivity for pranks. And I certainly never thought there would be anything even remotely romantic between us. But now…"

She trailed off, at a loss for words. "We're completely opposite people," she said at last. "You like to make people laugh, and I like to study. I care about my grades, and you don't as much. You're a pureblood, and I'm a Muggle-born."

"That doesn't have anything to do with this," Fred said at her last statement.

"I know," Hermione said. "I'm just trying to make a point about how different we are."

"That doesn't mean things couldn't work out between us," Fred said. "What's that Muggle saying? 'Opposites attract'?" He moved toward Hermione until they were right next to each other. "Just give me a chance," he whispered.

Hermione was taken aback. This was a side to Fred she'd neither seen before nor expected to see ever. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe."

"That's good enough for now," Fred said. He gently pressed his lips against Hermione's forehead. "Think about it, though, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione said.

"And until then, no one needs to know about this conversation, right?"

"Right."

"Good." Fred smiled and turned to go back to the common room. "See you around, Hermione."

He walked back down the corridor, leaving a speechless Hermione behind him, both of them wondering what had just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter wasn't going to happen. But it did! And there's probably going to be a third, if people like this one. We'll see. Oh, and this takes place on the day when Harry had his date with Cho Chang in Order of the Phoenix.**

"I hate Umbridge," Fred said passionately.

"Fred!" Hermione said reproachfully.

"What?" Fred said. "You hate her just as much as I do!"

"Well, yes," Hermione agreed in a low voice, "but I wouldn't go around proclaiming it to the world. You never know who could be listening." She glanced furtively around the Three Broomsticks, where the two of them were sitting.

"What's the worst she could do to me? Expel me?" Fred smirked and took a sip of his butterbeer. "George and I feel like we've gotten all the education we need. Plus I finally got a date with you, so I'm set."

"Oh, is that all I am?" Hermione said icily, glaring at him. "Another item on your to-do list? Maybe I was wrong about you."

"No! That came out wrong, I swear!" Fred said, mentally cursing himself.

"Really? Because it sure sounded like you meant what you said!"

"Come on, Hermione, can you really take what I say seriously?"

"But that's just it!" Hermione exploded. "If you're always joking around, how am I supposed to be able to tell when you're not? How do I know that you're not just doing this for a laugh? That you wouldn't break up with me someday and say, 'Wow, I can't believe that idiot Hermione Granger actually thought I cared about her'?"

"Hermione!" Fred exclaimed. "For one thing, I do not think you are an idiot. For another thing, believe it or not, I _can_ be serious when I want to. And I would never, _ever_ hurt a girl like that intentionally, especially one I like as much as you."

Hermione looked at Fred. The sincerity in his eyes told her that he was speaking the truth. Okay. She'd give him one more chance. "Anyway, I think Umbridge could do a lot worse to you than expel you," she said, resuming their conversation as if they hadn't just been arguing. "Hogwarts isn't what it used to be."

"I guess you're right. As usual," Fred said, relieved that she didn't seem angry anymore. He'd seen her bicker with Ron in the past and feared that their disagreement would've turned out the same. "But that's why we're doing all this stuff with the D.A., isn't it? Which was a brilliant idea, by the way."

"Thanks," Hermione said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Harry's a great teacher."

Fred nodded absentmindedly, taking another drink from his nearly empty glass. "So, do you want to walk around at all?"

"I shouldn't," Hermione said. "I'm, um, meeting Harry here in a little while with a couple other people."

Fred raised his eyebrows at her vague response. "Is that my signal to leave you alone?"

"No, no, you can stay if you want, I just thought –"

"I'm only teasing you. It's fine, really," Fred interrupted. "Besides, I promised George and Lee I'd meet up with them at Zonko's."

"All right then," Hermione said. "See you later."

Fred drained the last bit of his butterbeer before standing up and dropping a few coins on the table. "Bye, Hermione," he said, giving her a smile and a wave as he walked out the door.

* * *

Later that day in the Great Hall, Hermione listened patiently as Harry described his disastrous date with Cho Chang, which had ended with Cho becoming upset when Harry had wanted to go meet Hermione.

"She wanted to make you jealous," Hermione explained once he had finished. "I guess she doesn't know about me and Fred yet."

"So is it official then?" Harry asked curiously, his troubles temporarily forgotten. "You're dating Fred Weasley?"

"Yes. No. I don't know," Hermione sighed. "He acts so much differently around me than he does around other people nowadays. It's really strange."

"Don't tell me you miss the old Fred," Harry said teasingly. "I thought his pranks and troublemaking got on your nerves."

"I don't know," Hermione repeated, burying her face in her hands. "I'm still trying to process everything." After a few moments, she lifted her head to look at Harry. "What does Ron think about all this?"

"That's a good question," Harry replied. "He doesn't really talk about it. I'm not sure whether I should take that as a good sign or a bad one."

Hermione got quiet for a while. "What do _you _think about all this?" she asked at last.

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Me? I don't think I'm very good with relationships, I mean, I couldn't even figure out what was going on with Cho today…" Hermione remained silent, clearly determined to get an answer from Harry. "Okay," Harry relented. "I'll admit that it would be odd for you to date Fred, and you certainly seem like an unlikely couple, but if he's happy and you're happy then I don't have a problem with it."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "The thing is, I don't know if I have time for dating. I've got enough on my mind right now dealing with Umbridge, going to D.A. meetings, and studying for O.W.L.s."

"This coming from the girl who took every class Hogwarts has to offer in our third year?" Harry laughed.

Hermione giggled. "That was different! I had a Time Turner then! Not to mention our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wasn't trying to take control of the entire school. Honestly, I'm going to kill that toad one of these days…"

"What's this I hear?" Fred asked in mock surprise, sliding into a seat next to Hermione. "You shouldn't talk about Umbridge like that, Hermione. You never know who could be listening."

"Watch it, Weasley," Hermione said warningly. "I _am_ a prefect, you know."

"Forming an illegal club, talking ill of a teacher, and now abusing your power as a prefect?" Fred shook his head. "I think you and Ron have had a bad influence on her, Harry."

"I beg to differ!" Harry said indignantly. "I believe our influence has been highly beneficial! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Hermione was doing all this to impress you."

"Oh, I see! That's very clever of her, but I must say she was doing just fine before all this."

"Excuse me, I'm right here!" Hermione put in, scowling. "I can hear everything you're saying!" Her annoyed expression, however, only made Fred and Harry burst out laughing, and despite her best efforts to maintain it, she couldn't help joining in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! They make me very happy! I'm really on a roll with this story - in fact, this chapter turned out to be longer than I expected, so I'm planning to have another one after it. Who would've thought? This starts out on Harry's birthday in _Deathly Hallows._  
**

"Hermione?" a voice said tentatively. Hermione didn't need to look to see who it was, but she turned her head anyway.

"Hello, Fred. Come in," she said.

Fred entered the room and sat on the edge of Hermione's bed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm finishing packing for when Ron and Harry and I leave," Hermione answered, carefully avoiding Fred's eyes as she spoke. Hopefully he wasn't too angry that he wasn't coming along, she thought as she folded one of her shirts and tucked it into a small beaded bag.

Fred looked in disbelief at all the clothes scattered on the floor. "You can't possibly think all this will fit into that tiny bag!" he exclaimed.

"It's got an Undetectable Extension Charm on it," Hermione explained.

"Wow," Fred said, looking impressed. Then his expression changed to one of sadness. "So you really can't tell me where you're going?"

"I really can't," Hermione confirmed. "I wish I could, but…" She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.

"Can you at least tell me when you're leaving?" Fred asked.

"Even I'm not sure when we're leaving," Hermione said.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Fred said. "Well, then, I have something to give you."

"Now?" Hermione said.

"Yeah. Just in case I wake up one morning and you aren't here anymore." Fred smiled sadly. "Close your eyes."

Hermione looked skeptical. Fred laughed. "Don't worry. You'll like it. At least, I think you will." Slowly, Hermione closed her eyes and waited expectantly. A few seconds later, she felt Fred's lips touch hers. Keeping her eyes shut, she kissed him back. His hands found her waist, and not a moment later hers were around his neck.

"Oi!" someone said sharply, interrupting their moment of bliss. They broke apart and simultaneously whirled around to face the door. Ron stood there, the tips of his ears flaming red.

"Ron," Hermione breathed. Ron turned on his heel and walked away. "Ron, wait!" Hermione called.

"I'd better go talk to him," Fred sighed. He squeezed Hermione's hand gently before getting up and following Ron to his bedroom.

"Hey, Ron," Fred began, but Ron cut him off.

"What was that for?" he shouted.

"Sometimes when you like someone a lot, you kiss them," Fred said, making a feeble attempt at a joke.

"Yeah, well, I already saw Harry snogging Ginny today! Hermione was _there_, she saw how uncomfortable it made me, and yet she still decided to snog you!"

"It's not Hermione's fault. I was the one who initiated it," Fred said defensively. "And what did you expect her to do, anyway?"

"Put yourself in my shoes for once!" Ron said. "My two best friends are falling in love with two of my siblings. Where does that leave me?"

"It shouldn't matter whether I'm kissing your best friend or your worst enemy! If I love someone, I'm going to let them know! Besides, you're going to be leaving with Harry and Hermione soon, so you'll have lots of time to spend with them. I won't."

"I didn't think about that," Ron said quietly.

"Do you get it now? I'm just trying to make the most out of the time I have left with the three of you. I helped Dad and George with that ghoul. I've seen the lengths you and Hermione have gone to in order to protect your families. So even though I don't know where you're going or what you're doing, I can tell you'll be gone for a while, doing something that might be dangerous. What if you leave and never come back?"

"We'll come back," Ron said, trying to sound confident. "Yeah, it might take a while, but we'll come back sooner or later."

"You'd better," Fred said. "And take care of Hermione for me, will you?"

"I will," Ron promised. "She'll be okay."

"Good," Fred said. He stood up and ruffled his younger brother's hair. "But make sure you take care of yourself as well. I love you, too, you know." With that, Fred gave Ron a half-smile and left the room.

* * *

_Dear Fred,_

_ I hope this letter finds you safe and in good health and that everything is all right with you. Obviously, I can't tell you where I am right now, but I want you to know that I'm doing fine. We're all fine. I'm just writing to tell you a few things I was too afraid to tell you before._

_ You've probably figured this out already, but I thought I should actually tell you: I love you. I really, truly do. I love the little ways you would make me smile, like telling me jokes or writing me letters while I was still at Hogwarts and you were gone. You had a knack for sending me those letters when I was most upset or stressed. They always cheered me up._

_ You showed me a side of yourself that I never saw you show to anyone else. And I feel very privileged to have seen this side. You were sweet and kind and gentle. You knew the right things to say to make me feel better. In short, you were amazing._

_ I have so many regrets right now. I wish I would've told you all this before I left. I wish I would've had more time to talk with you and kiss you and feel your arms around me. The times we did have to do those things were really special though. They may have been short, but they were some of the best moments of my life._

_ So thank you, Fred. I don't know what else to say, except that I hope you know how much you mean to me now._

_ Love,_

_ Hermione_

Hermione sighed as she read over the letter. She didn't know why she was even bothering to write it. Even if she had an owl to send it, there was a slight chance that someone could be right outside the protective enchantments they'd cast who would see it. And she wasn't going to take any risks, no matter how small.

Still, she supposed it was nice to get the thoughts that had been bouncing around her head all day into somewhat of an organized manner. Maybe now she could focus now on more pressing matters, like trying to find Voldemort's Horcruxes and figuring out why Dumbledore had left her _The Tales of Beedle the Bard _in his will_._

_ How had Fred done it? _Hermione asked herself as she tucked the letter into her beaded bag. As she'd mentioned in her note, they'd had so little time to spend together. Yet somehow Fred had managed to win her over, and she was under his spell (figuratively, of course).

She'd never expected to care about him this much, but there was no doubt in her mind she was irrevocably in love with him. She seemed to spend nearly every waking hour thinking about him, and sometimes he showed up in her dreams while she slept. There was just something about him that attracted her, though she couldn't even begin to explain what it was.

_Stop it_, she told herself firmly. There were more important things to think about at the moment. The fate of the entire wizarding world seemed to rest on hers and Ron's and Harry's shoulders, and therefore her main goal should be to make sure it was a good one. Hermione fished _The Tales of Beedle the Bard _out of her bag and settled down to examine it, pushing her last lingering thoughts of Fred to the back of her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I'm never sure what to do about ratings for my stories, so if you think the rating on this story should be changed to T, please let me know. Otherwise I'll keep it where it's at. Also, another quick disclaimer: I use a bit of dialogue from _Deathly Hallows, _obviously I don't own it.**

Fred rubbed the fake gold Galleon in his pocket that Ginny had given him as he followed her through the dark tunnel. It was cold now, but she'd insisted that it was warm before. And that could only mean one thing: Harry was back, hopefully with Ron and Hermione.

"How long is this tunnel?" Fred asked anxiously.

"We should be nearly there," Ginny replied. "Look, there's the end!" She pushed open a door in the wall to reveal a large room with a group of people inside. George and Lee Jordan followed Fred into the room and began to greet their old friends, but Fred had eyes for only one person.

She was paler and thinner and had longer hair than he remembered, but there was no doubt she was Hermione, alive and in one piece. Fred took a few moments to drink in her appearance before calling out to her. "Hermione!"

She turned to look at him, and her face lit up. Running over to him, she hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much," she murmured.

"Not as much as I missed you," Fred said. Now that Hermione was closer to him, he could see that her skin was covered in scratches, bruises, and burns. "Merlin's beard, Hermione, what happened to you? What have you been doing?" he cried.

"Nothing! I mean, I still can't tell you," Hermione said. "But I'm fine, really. Compared to what the people here are like, I've had it easy." She glanced over at Harry, who looked somewhat impatient. "Look, I should go. There's something I need to do…"

"Wait a second," Fred said, catching her wrist before she could leave. "I haven't seen you in months! There's something _we _need to do first." He leaned in and kissed Hermione on the lips, and for a moment, she forgot about the Horcruxes and the danger they were in right then. She could really get used to this, Hermione thought. A few seconds of happiness after seemingly endless days of stress and hunger and fear was enthralling.

Soon, however, she had to break away. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I have to help Harry. We'll have more time for this later."

"All right," Fred said reluctantly. He couldn't resist giving Hermione another quick peck on the cheek, and then he unwillingly let her go. Why did it feel like he was letting go forever?

* * *

Hermione could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. They'd just escaped the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement, inadvertently destroying the diadem Horcrux in the process. This was it. The snake was the only Horcrux left.

The hallway they were in suddenly grew louder. Hermione spun around and, to her horror, saw Fred battling a couple hooded Death Eaters along with his brother Percy. How had the Death Eaters managed to get in?

Without a second thought, Hermione rushed forward to help, closely followed by Harry and Ron. They began to duel, and the corridor turned into a myriad of colors flying everywhere. The man Percy was fighting lost his hood, revealing his identity.

"Hello, Minister!" Percy shouted. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" Fred cried with a hint of shock and admiration. "You actually _are_ joking, Perce. I don't think I've heard you joke since you were –"

But his sentence would never be completed, for at that moment, a giant explosion blasted them all into the air. One moment Hermione was soaring and the next she'd slammed into the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could and tested her limbs. When she'd determined that she'd sustained no serious injuries, she looked around for the others.

Harry was slowly getting to his feet. Ron was already standing, brushing dust from his clothes. Percy sat on the ground, fixing his glasses. _But_ w_here was Fred? _

As if they were drawn by some magnetic force, the four of them turned their heads in unison in the same direction. And there, on the ground, completely unmoving, was Fred's body.

Hermione's entire world shattered in an instant. She ran over to Fred, seeming to move in slow motion. She thought she heard someone screaming. _Maybe it's actually George, _she thought wildly, and then instantly berated herself for wishing death upon Fred's twin. But this couldn't be happening, it _couldn't_…

Hermione's knees gave out just as she reached Fred. She collapsed on top of him, letting her tears spill over onto his lifeless body. Desperately, she grabbed his hand and felt his wrist for a pulse, but to no avail.

She didn't care anymore. Someone could have shot a Killing Curse at her right then and she wouldn't have flinched. Why did anything matter, when Fred was dead?

He would never open his eyes again. Never smile at her, tease her, or kiss her again. She'd said there would be time for that later. And now she had so many regrets. Especially – Hermione choked back a sob as she realized – she'd never told him she loved him.

Why did this have to happen? Hadn't the war already affected her and her friends enough?

_Her friends. _Hermione lifted her head up to see Ron kneeling beside Fred, his face streaked with tears, and Harry standing nearby, seeming like he could start crying at any moment as well. Percy looked shell-shocked, staring numbly at his younger brother.

They sat there for a few minutes, though it felt like several hours. Finally, Ron stood up and said, "I am going to _kill_ those Death Eaters." His voice was low but dangerous and thick with emotion. Hermione found herself nodding in agreement. She'd never felt such a strong desire to murder someone before. It was slightly unnerving.

"No," Harry said, placing a hand on each of his friends' shoulders. "We can't. We need to end this. It's – it's what Fred would want us to do."

Hermione nodded again, unable to speak. Harry offered his hand to her, and she grasped it tightly as he pulled her to her feet. Then, with one last glance of pain and sorrow at Fred, she followed Harry and Ron away from the place where a piece of her heart would lie forever.

**I had planned for this to be the last chapter of the story, but now I'm thinking it might need more. Any thoughts on whether I should or shouldn't continue? And of course, let me know what you think! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5 - First Ending

**As you probably know if you read the previous chapter, I chose to keep Fred's death scene in the story. However, some people apparently weren't happy with this and wanted him to be alive. So, I decided to write two different endings! This chapter will have the ending as I originally planned it. The next chapter, which I haven't written yet but will hopefully be posting soon, will have Fred alive. Read one ending, read both endings, whatever you want, but maybe this way there will be something to satisfy everyone.**

There was a bittersweet mood in the Great Hall following the battle. The joy of victory was tinged with the pain of loss, and the relief of being alive was mixed with the guilt of surviving when others hadn't.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione found the Weasleys gathered together by Fred's body. They were all completely silent with the exception of Mrs. Weasley and George, who were both sobbing openly. Hermione thought she shouldn't disturb them, but her legs seemed to be disconnected from her brain, taking her over to the family.

When she reached them, Mrs. Weasley immediately turned to her and enveloped her in an embrace. Hermione began to cry on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and she allowed the older woman to do the same on hers.

Mrs. Weasley turned her head to speak into Hermione's ear. "Fred would be so proud of you," she whispered through her tears.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

"I don't blame you," Mrs. Weasley assured her. "I don't blame any of you. There was nothing you could do."

The two of them hugged each other for a few seconds longer, and then Hermione stepped back to let Ron in to mourn with his family in peace. She walked over to Fred's body and sat beside him, running her fingers through his hair. A minute later, Harry came over and knelt beside her. He put an arm around her and rubbed her back soothingly. He didn't try to talk to her, which she appreciated. She wasn't ready to talk.

Hermione closed her eyes and bit down hard on her lip, praying that when she opened her eyes, she'd be waking up on her cot in the tent, still looking for Horcruxes and knowing nothing about the battle of Hogwarts. Or, even better, she'd be waking up at home with her parents, the hunt for the Horcruxes not even begun yet. However, when her eyes opened, she was still in the Great Hall next to – she could hardly bear to think the words – Fred's dead body.

Looking over at the rest of the Weasleys, Hermione saw Mr. Weasley detach himself from his family and approach her and Harry. "You'll come to the Burrow with us?" he asked. "We want you there for the funeral, of course, and then you're welcome to stay until things settle down."

Harry looked to Hermione for confirmation. She gave a slight nod. She'd certainly need time to recuperate, accept what had happened, and move on as best she could, and what better place to do that than the Weasleys' house?

"That would be great. Thanks, Mr. Weasley," Harry said. "And we wouldn't miss Fred's funeral for the world."

* * *

They spoke only of the Fred that everyone else knew at the funeral. They talked of the jokes he told, the pranks he pulled, the laughs he brought. They reminisced about the mischief he'd caused with his twin brother – the time they'd attempted to enter the Triwizard Tournament, the day they'd made their grand exit from Hogwarts during Umbridge's reign.

No one said a word about the Fred that Hermione knew. They'd never seen his other side, his sweet, sensitive side. They didn't know that he'd had someone he loved in a different way than how he loved his parents or his siblings. Hermione thought it was a bit selfish to keep this to herself, but she didn't want to share it just yet.

She sat between Harry and Ron during the service. She didn't know how she could've gotten through the past few days without her two best friends. They had given her support when she needed it, and likewise she had been there for them. Still, even with them, going on with her life had been tough.

_Nobody told me this was going to be so difficult, _Hermione thought bitterly. _I wouldn't have signed up for this if I'd known how it was going to turn out. _Then, another voice in the back of her head reminded her that no one had said this would be easy, either.

When the funeral had concluded, the casket was closed, sealing Fred away forever. And it was only at that point that Hermione shed a single tear. Others may have wondered why she didn't cry more, but she'd cried so much lately that she was surprised she had any tears left.

"Goodbye, Fred," she whispered as the casket was lowered into the ground. "I love you."

* * *

_~Three Years Later~_

The day of the Battle of Hogwarts was a day that was still remembered and would be remembered forever in the Wizarding world. It was a day when they would celebrate Voldemort's downfall as well as give thanks for the sacrifices of those who had fought and died.

Every year on this anniversary, Hermione went to visit the grave of her one true love. As she approached the site where Fred had been buried, she saw another red-haired figure sitting by it. It was George. Of course. She should've known.

"Hello," Hermione said softly, settling herself beside Fred's twin brother.

George turned toward her, his face streaked with tears, and managed to give her a watery smile. "Hi," he replied.

"How long have you been here?" Hermione asked.

George shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't matter though. I'd spend the whole day here if I could."

They lapsed into a peaceful silence until George spoke again. "Did Fred ever tell you how much he loved you?"

"No," Hermione answered. "But then again, I never told him how much I loved him. I still haven't forgiven myself for that. I don't know if I ever will."

"Well, he really cared about you. I remember he told me once that you were the best thing that had ever happened to him."

Hermione smiled. "That means a lot to me." She picked a blade of grass from the ground absentmindedly. "It's still hard dealing with his death. I don't know how you manage."

"Sometimes, I can't manage," George said. "There are days when I just have to let it out. I cry and scream and ask the world, why him? Why not someone else?" George sighed. "That's a horrible thing to think, I suppose. But I can't help it."

"It's okay. I understand how you feel," Hermione said. "But everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know what the reason is, I guess." Hermione stopped for a few seconds and then gently laid a hand on George's arm. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks, Hermione," George said. "You're a really great person. I can see why Fred loved you so much."

At that moment, a ray of sun shone down upon them. Hermione closed her eyes and let the warmth wash over her. It felt like a message from Fred saying, _Don't worry. Everything will be okay. _

Hermione opened her eyes. "Everything will be okay," she repeated to herself. And for the first time since Fred's death, she truly believed it.


	6. Chapter 5 - Second Ending

**At last I've reached the finish! Here is the second ending to my story for those of you who wanted Fred to live. I must say, this fanfiction went on much longer than I expected, and I'm glad people seem to like it. Thanks for reading, and I hope this ending is satisfactory (personally I feel it's missing something, but maybe that's just me). By the way, I changed the rating to T. I'm always paranoid about ratings, so I wanted to be safe. But I really don't think it's that bad.  
**

There was a bittersweet mood in the Great Hall following the battle. The joy of victory was tinged with the pain of loss, and the relief of being alive was mixed with the guilt of surviving when others hadn't.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione found the Weasleys gathered together. They were all present with one exception – strangely, Fred himself was absent.

"What happened?" Hermione asked in a low voice. "Where's Fred's body?"

Ron shrugged, and Harry said, "Beats me. I guess they couldn't find it."

"But we could see it! It's not like it was hidden or anything –" Hermione broke off as they were approached by Mrs. Weasley, but inside her anger continued to bubble. Fred had fought bravely in the battle, and yet no one had had the decency to bring his body back so his family could bury it? She supposed the Death Eaters could have taken it, but she couldn't fathom why they'd want it.

_I guess we're as much to blame as anybody, though, _Hermione thought. _We should've stayed there. No, we should've saved him so he wouldn't have even died in the first place._

Mrs. Weasley enveloped her youngest son in a tight embrace when she reached the trio, her face streaked with tears. It was a mark of the tragedy of the day's events that Ron didn't protest at all; in fact, he hugged his mother back.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley let go of Ron and proceeded to hug Harry and Hermione. When she broke away from Hermione, she carefully dried her tears. "They couldn't find his body," she said quietly, confirming Harry's suspicions, "but we're still going to have a memorial for him."

"Of course," Hermione said. "And we'll be there – if you want us to be there, that is."

"Oh, don't be silly," Mrs. Weasley said. "Fred loved you, and Harry's practically part of the family as well."

"MUM!" Ginny shrieked suddenly. Hermione turned toward Ginny along with Mrs. Weasley to see the younger girl pointing toward the entrance to the Great Hall. She followed Ginny's gaze and saw…

"_Fred?_" Mrs. Weasley said incredulously. Hermione's mouth fell open. It couldn't be. Fred was dead. It had to be George. But when Hermione whirled around to face the Weasleys again, there was George, his expression shocked and confused. Hermione looked back at Fred, who was grinning.

"Hello, everyone," he said easily.

"But how?" Hermione exclaimed. "I thought you were dead!"

"Me? No. I was only unconscious for a while," Fred said.

"I checked your pulse!" Hermione cried.

"Well, you didn't do a very good job, did you?"

And for a moment, Hermione forgot her sorrow and burst into tears of joy. She ran over to Fred and threw her arms around him, her lips meeting the ones she never thought she'd kiss again.

"I was such an idiot," she whispered when they separated. "What if we never got to do that again?"

"Hey. Don't worry about it. We're all here, aren't we?"

"Not quite all of us," Harry cut in sadly. "Remus and Tonks are dead."

The smile quickly faded from Fred's face. He pulled Hermione closer to him and held her tightly. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to be so insensitive."

"It's okay," Hermione said. "You didn't know. I didn't know either."

Fred shook his head. "I hate war. Why does it seem like people think killing each other is the only way to resolve conflict?"

"I wish I knew, Fred," Hermione replied. "I wish I knew."

"Hey," Fred said again, seeing Hermione's eyes filling with tears. "We can get through this. Anytime you need me, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Fred," Hermione said softly. If anyone could give her comfort right then, it would be him.

* * *

"Hermione!" Ginny squealed. "You look absolutely amazing!"

Hermione blushed. "So do you," she said.

"Thank you, but today's not about me," Ginny said. "It's about you! And Fred, of course." She took Hermione's hand and led her over to a full-length mirror. "There. Just look at yourself and tell me you aren't gorgeous."

Hermione slowly turned on the spot, admiring her long white dress from every angle. "It is nice," she admitted. "Okay, it's very nice."

Ginny almost laughed out loud. "I guess that's good enough," she said.

There was a soft knock on the door. Hermione's father poked his head in the room. "Am I allowed to come in?" he asked.

"Dad!" Hermione exclaimed, hurrying over to her father and hugging him.

Mr. Granger stepped back and gazed at his daughter. "You look wonderful," he said. "I can't believe you're getting married today. It seems like only yesterday your mother and I were bringing you home for the first time from the hospital."

"Stop it! You're going to make me cry!" Hermione said, brushing a tear from her eye.

"Sorry," said Mr. Granger, whose eyes seemed slightly watery themselves. "As the father of the bride I feel obligated to say those things. Not that they aren't true, mind you."

Ginny handed Hermione her bouquet of flowers. "Come on, Mrs. Weasley-to-be," she said with a grin. "Time to go."

Mr. Granger offered his arm to Hermione, and the two of them followed Ginny outside to the place where the wedding was to be held. Rows of chairs were set up on either side of an aisle, leading to an arch of flowers that the bride and groom would stand beneath.

Music began to play as Fred and his best man, George, got up and went to their places. Hermione suppressed a giggle when she saw Fred's outfit. He wore jeans and an orange shirt that clashed horribly with his hair. Harry had told her what Fred had said years ago at Bill and Fleur's wedding: "_When I get married,_ _I won't be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like, and I'll put a full Body-Bind Curse on Mum until it's all over_." And Fred had done exactly what he'd intended, though luckily the Body-Bind Curse hadn't been necessary. However, it had taken lots of pleading from Fred and assurance from Hermione that she didn't mind for Mrs. Weasley to consent to it.

Ginny made her way down the aisle and stood in her spot. Then Hermione took a deep breath and moved to the center of the aisle with her father. The entire congregation of guests seemed to stop breathing, and Fred couldn't resist staring. Hermione and Mr. Granger, both beaming happily, walked to where Fred waited patiently for his bride.

"Take care of her," Mr. Granger said to Fred, squeezing his daughter's hand.

"I will," Fred promised. He turned to Hermione while Mr. Granger went to his seat. "Merlin, you look beautiful," he breathed. He wished he could kiss her right then and there. Whose idea was it that they couldn't do that until the end of the ceremony, anyway?

"Thank you. You're looking handsome yourself. Very sophisticated," Hermione replied teasingly.

From that moment on, Fred and Hermione's eyes never left each other's. They spoke their vows in loud, clear voices. Neither of them could stop smiling. And then, at last…

"You may now kiss the bride!"

"It's about time!" Fred shouted, causing everyone to laugh except Mrs. Weasley, who looked mortified.

"Fred Weasley!" she hissed disapprovingly, but Fred was too busy kissing his new wife to notice. It was easily the best moment of his life, and he hoped Hermione felt the same way. He wished he could freeze time and stay there forever.


End file.
